Thursday, June 11, 2015

If my lgbt brothers and sisters thought that this so-called culture war was nearing the end thanks to a possible Supreme Court ruling for marriage equality (which hasn't even happened yet), they got a wake up call today.

Now it is legal for Michigan's adoption agencies to not only imply to the state's lgbt community that they are not worthy of having families and raising children, but these same adoption agencies can receive lgbt tax dollars for the privilege:

Michigan's
governor signed legislation on Thursday allowing private adoption
agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples on religious
grounds, one of a series of Republican-backed measures at the state
level targeting gay couples. Governor
Rick Snyder, a Republican, signed three bills into law a day after
Michigan's Republican-controlled Senate approved the measures that had
been advanced by the state House of Representatives.
. . . The
Michigan bills that were signed into law let faith-based agencies that
contract with Michigan refuse adoption services to couples on religious
grounds. The legislation does not specifically mention gay couples, but
is considered a version of religious freedom acts considered in a number
of states to shield businesses that may refuse services to same-sex
couples from discrimination lawsuits. Child
placement agencies that decline services to couples will be required
promptly to provide prospective adoptive parents a list of other
adoption agencies willing and able to serve them. One bill amended the state's child protection act and the others amended other laws to add language on refusing service.

Freedom
Michigan, a coalition of business and other groups supporting gay
rights, said the law will make it harder for the more than 13,000
children in the state's adoption and foster care system to find
nurturing homes.

ACLU attorney Brooke Tucker said the group is looking at ways to challenge of the law on constitutional grounds."The
constitution doesn't allow discrimination based on religion and you
can't do that with state funds," she said. "We're looking at our legal
options and especially looking to hear from people who will be adversely
affected by this."

This is NOT the last we hear about this in Michigan and, unfortunately, in other states. The signal has been given and I am sure that other states will be attempting to follow.

How long will it be before our lazy media creates the false narrative of the "backlash" to the progression of lgbt equality?

House overrides magistrate same-sex marriage veto - A law which allows county magistrates a "religious excuse" to refuse to perform marriages for any couples (i.e. same sex couples) has become law after the legislature overrode the Governor's veto. Ugh!

About Me

Alvin McEwen is 46-year-old African-American gay man who resides in Columbia, SC.
McEwen's blog, Holy Bullies and Headless Monsters, and writings have been mentioned by Americablog.com, Goodasyou.org, People for the American Way, PageOneQ.com, The Washington Post, Raw Story, The Advocate, Media Matters for America, Crooksandliars.com, Thinkprogress.org, Andrew Sullivan's Daily Dish, Melissa Harris-Perry, The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Newsweek, The Daily Beast, The Washington Blade, and Foxnews.com.
In addition, he is also a past contributor to Pam's House Blend,Justice For All, LGBTQ Nation, and Alternet.org. He is a present contributor to the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post,
He is the 2007 recipient of the Harriet Daniels Hancock Volunteer of the Year Award and the 2010 recipient of the Order of the Pink Palmetto from the SC Pride Movement as well as the 2009 recipient of the Audre Lorde/James Baldwin Civil Rights Activist Award from SC Black Pride. In addition, he is a three-time nominee of the Ed Madden Media Advocacy Award from SC Pride.